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Written by Donovan Henderson
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Wednesday, 19 April 2006 |
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FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — In the spring, streams shimmer and gurgle in the sunlight.
It creates a distinctive watery look recognizable to some that means it is rafting time in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
I know. I was hooked. I was once a raft guide. I always looked forward to April with high anticipation: It was time to paddle and row on two West Virginia rivers — the New and the Gauley. They are among the best white-water rivers in the country.
But things are changing for West Virginia’s rafting outfitters on the New and the Gauley, where the first commercial trips were offered in 1968.
Today, fewer people want to go rafting.
The Baby Boomers are aging and opting for more sedate activities, and Generation Xers or Millennial Boomers are drawn to other sports like climbing, snowboarding, wakeboarding and moto-cross and have too many other things to do, said David Arnold, a co-partner in Class VI River Runners, one of West Virginia’s biggest and most successful outfitters.
The number of passengers going down the New and the Gauley rivers peaked in 1995 and continues to drop, said Eric Pories, executive director of the West Virginia Professional River Outfitters Association.
In 2004, the number of passengers was 187,570.
The totals in 2005 slipped more: 185,460 on the New and the Gauley.
Overall, the number of rafters in West Virginia has dropped from 257,446 in 1995 to 249,759 in 2000 to 214,550 in 2004 to 210,362 in 2005. | Only registered users can write comments.
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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